autumn is ‘Pack down’ time

What’s been happening in the hives for autumn, and what am I doing in the apiary as we progress towards winter (not that it feels much like late autumn weather right now!)?

‘Pack down’ time

As the long days of summer turn into the milder, shorter days of autumn, it’s time to take off the last of any surplus honey the bees have produced and ‘pack down’ the hives for winter.  There hasn’t been much, if any, surplus honey to harvest this season because of the drought affecting available flowers, particularly pasture species like clover.  I have been lucky that my bees have found sufficient forage to store away more than enough nectar (honey) and pollen for winter food.  I focussed on having fewer hives per site, and not overstocking any areas with bees, which means less competition for nectar and pollen, and more resources to go around each hive.  In doing so, I have avoided having to feed bees (it’s not uncommon for beekeepers to feed bees pollen and nectar supplements in times of lack of drought and lack of forage).

Packing down a hive after removing surplus honey involves reducing the number of boxes per hive to as small a volume as possible for the bees to have to cluster and keep that space warm over winter.  Think about the size of your home and how much heating is required to warm it.  The smaller the room, the less heating (and therefore energy) required to keep it warm.  In the bees’ situation they create warmth in the hive by metabolising honey and vibrating their bodies to generate heat – a bit like us shivering.  The bees cluster around the brood nest to keep it warm, and don’t want excess space to have to heat in addition to heating the cluster. 

One or two boxes is sufficient, with the bees clustering around the small amount of brood (the queen bee lays fewer eggs in our milder, cooler weather; sometimes, she stops laying altogether over winter in colder climates).  The brood cluster is situated in the lower part of the hive, and the honey is stored above; either in a second box, or in the upper parts of the frames in a single-box configuration.  As winter progresses the bees eat through their honey stores and the cluster moves upwards in the hive to where it’s warmer (heat rises). 

By the end of winter, the bottom box (or portion) of the hive is usually empty of bees, and the cluster is up near the lid.  The queen starts to lay eggs again as the days grow longer and any nectar flows begin, which results in a rapid expansion of bee numbers, and a need for extra space again.  That empty box that was on the bottom of the hive can be repositioned as the top box, or a new box added to a single-box hive, and thus the new spring bee season begins!  

Keep on buzzing!